


Hope (Rekindled and Ready)

by artist_artists



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 21:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artist_artists/pseuds/artist_artists
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unique didn’t meet Ryder's eye, just shuffled a bit closer and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder and Ryder thought, not for the first time, that maybe he and Unique really did need to talk things through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hope (Rekindled and Ready)

**Author's Note:**

> Quick, unbetaed Rynique ficlet. It's a result of the prom photos that got posted last night. They gave me feelings. SO MANY FEELINGS.

Ryder ends up being the last person Unique drops off after prom, despite living much closer to the school than Jake or Marley.

“Take a left at this stop sign,” he instructs her as she approaches his street. “It’s on that street, just a few blocks down.” She’s never been to his house before, hadn’t even known what neighborhood he lived in, which is weird. She knows all of his deepest, darkest secrets, but doesn’t know he lives on Willow Avenue. She flips on her turn signal and rolls to a stop, checking the intersection multiple times before turning.. He wonders if she’s always so careful.

They’re both quiet for the last few blocks, as quiet as it’s been in the car since they dropped Marley off ten minutes ago. It hadn’t been so weird at prom, with all four of them hanging out together. It hadn’t been Ryder’s plan, though. He’d caught a ride to the school with Blaine and Sam, expecting to spend most of the evening with them, but that was mostly because he didn’t want to feel like a third wheel with Jake and Marley. He’d felt like a third wheel with the boys anyway, though, and Unique was hanging out with Jake and Marley, and it hadn’t taken Ryder long to gravitate over to their small group. It hadn’t seemed weird until the four of them gathered together for a prom photo and the photographer urged Unique to “move a little closer to your man!” Unique didn’t meet Ryder's eye, just shuffled a bit closer and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder and Ryder thought, not for the first time, that maybe he and Unique really did need to talk things through.

The awkwardness abated after the photos, with Tina’s _Carrie_ nightmare and the aftermath, and they’d had fun with the whole group for the rest of prom and at the afterparty at Breadstix. But now, as Ryder points out his house and Unique pulls into the driveway, it’s starting to become clear again - they really need to talk.

“Thanks for the ride,” Ryder says, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Sorry it was so much extra driving, but it felt like Sam and Blaine were going to be there all night with Tina, and-”

She rolls her eyes as she cuts him off. “The extra driving was Marley’s fault, she’s the one who lives far away. And the one who insisted I drop you off last because she needed to save two minutes and be home by her 12:35 curfew. _No one_ has a 12:35 curfew.”

Ryder smiles. Unique’s bluntness is one of her most appealing features. “Yeah, it wasn’t subtle. Neither was Kitty, before we left.”

“I know, right?” Unique groans. “Girl was clearly giving out some orders to Jake and Marley before we left, and shut up real quick as soon as I was in earshot. I _knew_ she was plotting something.”

Ryder had thought so, too, watching her from across the parking lot. It hadn’t occurred to him to try and stop it. “Well, it’s not a big deal, really. We can be in a car alone together.”

“Of course we can. It’s not awkward at all.” She’s nodding as she says it, but her hands are gripping the steering wheel, and a brief silence hangs heavy over them.

“Uh… maybe it’s a _little_ awkward,” Ryder eventually says, and Unique glances over at him, laughter in her eyes.

“A little,” she agrees.

“I think they want us to talk.”

Unique looks away. “Well, they’re sweet, but it’s not really their business.”

“You don’t think we should talk? About… stuff?”

She’s quiet for a few seconds before responding. “We could. I just don’t really want to push things, now that you’re talking to me again. I got the feeling you’d rather ignore the whole situation and hope it eventually got better.”

“Yeah,” Ryder says, because he does feel that way most of the time. “Yeah, it would be nice, but it hasn’t really worked for me in the past, so…”

She waits a few seconds to see if he’s going to finish before asking, “So you want to talk?”

Ryder’s looking out the passenger side window when he agrees. “Yeah, I think that would be good.”

“It’s your call.”

“I want to,” he confirms, turning toward her. He wants to sort this out so he _can_ look at her when they’re alone like this, so he can have that weird swishy feeling in his stomach like he’d had when she touched his shoulder and not feel so conflicted about it, so he can feel as special and loved as he did when he was talking to her online, before he knew about the lies. It’s worth working for, all of it, and he can tell by the smile taking over her features that she agrees.

“Okay. But, uh… I actually _do_ have to be home by one, so now’s probably not a good time.”

There’s still a part of him that wants to put it off indefinitely, give a vague answer about maybe next week sometime, or maybe even after Nationals, because that will have them pretty busy for the next few weeks and it’s not going to be a comfortable conversation, and maybe if they wait long enough things will just work themselves out and they’ll be real friends again.

But she’s still smiling at him, apologetic but hopeful, and it’s not really the first time he’s wished he could kiss her, but it’s the first time he’s admitting it to himself.

“Tomorrow, then? If you’re free, we could go to the Lima Bean. Or I guess you could come here, since you know where I live and all.”

“The Lima Bean is fine,” she replies. “Any excuse for Unique to get one of those giant chocolate chip cookies. I might even let you share.”

“You better. So… around two o’clock?”

“I’ll have to consult my _extremely_ busy social calendar, but I’m sure I can fit you in around then,” she teases.

“Okay, cool,” Ryder says, pushing open the car door. He has to stop himself from adding “It’s a date,” as he says goodbye and closes the door behind him. It’s not a date, but it’s a new beginning, and that’s a nice thought, no matter how scary tackling their messy past will be.

It’s not a date, not yet, but it’s _hope,_ rekindled after a tough blow and ready to tackle the world.


End file.
